David A. Schoneweis Scholarship at AASV Annual Meeting
Braden Steidley, a third-year student at Oklahoma State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, was awarded the David A. Schoneweis Scholarship during the American Association of Swine Veterinarians Annual Meeting held in Aurora, Colo.
The children of the late David Schoneweis established a scholarship in his memory to benefit swine-interested students from Kansas State University (KSU) and Oklahoma State University (OSU). The $1,000 scholarship is awarded to a student or students from KSU or OSU who participate in the student oral or poster presentations during the AASV Annual Meeting, based upon a selection rubric prepared with the oversight and approval of the Schoneweis family.
Steidley presented his research, “A field study examining the effects of a novel maternal pheromone on performance and livability of weaned pigs,” during the AASV Student Poster Session. He was one of 20 students presenting a poster.
Schoneweis was born in Clay Center, Kan., and earned his DVM from Kansas State University in 1956. He served two years in the Army Veterinary Corps before teaching clinical sciences at Oklahoma State University for 6 years. After two years in private practice in Lawrence, Kan., he joined the KSU College of Veterinary Medicine faculty in 1966, where he received his master’s degree in surgery and medicine in 1971 and taught food animal medicine for 30 years. Schoneweis was a charter member of the American Association of Swine Practitioners (AASP) and served on the association’s board of directors in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In 1997, he received the AASP Meritorious Service Award for his lifetime of support for the association and in recognition of his work with students as a professor of food animal medicine at KSU and OSU.
Thankful for the scholarship, Steidley said, “It is an honor to be considered and chosen for the David A. Schoneweis Scholarship. I am thankful for the family of Dr. Schoneweis and their generosity in providing this award that supports my career path in this industry.”
Dr Conrad and Judy Schmidt Family Student Debt Relief Endowment Scholarship
Three $5,000 scholarships were awarded to early-career swine practitioners through the Dr. Conrad and Judy Schmidt Family Student Debt Relief Endowment. Recipients Katie Beckman, Alyssa Betlach and Daniel Brown. were announced March 6 during the American Association of Swine Veterinarians 54th Annual Meeting in Aurora, Colo.
The purpose of the scholarship is to help relieve the student debt of recent veterinary graduates engaged in swine practice who still have significant debt burden. Qualified applicants must have been engaged in private practice with at least 50% of their time devoted to swine, providing on-farm service directly to independent pork producers. All three recipients have been continuous members of the AASV since joining as students. As students, each attended the annual meeting during their veterinary education.
Beckman, a 2019 Purdue University DVM graduate, is a swine veterinarian at AMVC Management Services in Audubon, Iowa. She provides veterinary services to sow farms and wean-to-finish sites in Iowa, and she teaches Swine Medicine Education Center students through AMVC. She enjoys spending time on farm and building strong relationships with dedicated and passionate growers eager to improve herd health. She cites mentorship from AASV colleagues as an essential building block to a strong foundation as a swine veterinarian, and she hopes to support new graduates in the future.
Betlach is a 2018 DVM and 2021 PhD graduate of the University of Minnesota. She is an associate swine veterinarian and researcher at the Swine Vet Center where she works with producers in the midwestern United States to optimize herd health, biosecurity, and production. She also conducts and oversees applied research related to disease control and elimination, production, and nutrition to provide science-driven advancements to Swine Vet Center clientele. Betlach was inspired to pursue swine medicine after attending the AASV Annual Meeting as an undergraduate research presenter.
Brown, a DVM graduate of the University of Illinois, has been a veterinary consultant at Four Star Veterinary Service since graduation in 2020. He provides veterinary services to all types of producers across seven states. He views AASV as a great educational resource that has been indispensable to his career, providing internships and externships to early career development programs.
The scholarship was initiated with a generous $110,000 contribution to the foundation by the Conrad Schmidt and Family Endowment. Schmidt, a charter member of AASV, explained, “Together, Judy and I noticed that many new DVM graduates interested in swine medicine begin their professional life with heavy educational debt obligations. As a long-time AASV member and animal industry supporter, it was our desire to help AASV members who have dedicated their professional skills to swine herd health and production. We hope that this endowment will grow over time to assist in reducing the educational debt load of AASV members as they begin their professional journeys.”
More from AASV’s Annual Meeting:
AASV Recap: What the Veterinarians Were Talking About
Swine Veterinarians Share Wisdom Beyond the Farm at AASV Annual Meeting
Face Next-Generation Challenges in the Pork Industry Head On
AASV Recognizes 2023 Young Swine Veterinarian of the Year
AASV Foundation Awards $100,000 for Research Grants
Tara Donovan Named AASV’s 2023 Swine Practitioner of the Year
American Association of Swine Veterinarians Names Hollis President
